It would be good if they released a downloadable copy of things like the soundtrack from their website later on.

YES!

As much as I appreciate CEs, I think Bungie does it the right way by releasing 3 different versions. For those who don't care at all, just the game. For those who want a little bit (say a soundtrack, an artbook, or maybe a bonus DVD) you can get the mid-range LE. Those who want the kitchen sink as well, you can get the full on CE. I think more games should do this, have a mid-range version where for just an extra $10 I can get the soundtrack and bonus DVD, or something like that.

Personally, I would love to have everything in this except for the bust (I just don't have anywhere to put it), and the simple fact that the bust is included means I likely won't buy this CE.

Yeah, exactly the same. The other stuff is all little stuff that can go in a drawer or actually be used. The bust is way OTT.

"Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." ― H.L. Mencken

It's certainly putting their money where their mouth is regarding their DRM policy. No doubt some bright spark will point out that it gets torrented (hint: everything does) anyway and that they are ruined because they didn't protect it.

There's an interesting offer there: 1 of 5 GOG games, a PDF artbook, and if you're paying in £/€ because of some legal thing which means they have to peg the price against the dollar (some retail contract I guess) rather than a currency translation, they're offering the difference in credit at GOG, which is $6 for the payment in sterling or $16 for euros.

And, there's a 'preorder' offer of 4 bonus tracks, 10 HD wallpaper,s CDP RED photo tour and 10 avatars, that requires no commitment to GOG, although you're going to pay your money to them eventually, right? Just click the button.

Which apparently is only 49.99 to start with? Does that mean the game is going to be $40 or 45 for the "standard" edition? Or is this like DAO2 with pre-orders getting the "premium" edition for pre-ordering and everyone else gets the normal one for $50 at release?

Although I guess the GoG deal is better for any Europeans. And it gives a free game, so maybe it's better for everyone. Wow.

I hope Steam is watching how GoG is handling this Euro price difference with a USD credit. Maybe this will finally wake them up on the issue.

Steam and GOG are the exact same price in terms of money coming out of my bank, but GOG gives you essentially 2 or 3 free games. I would imagine it's a contract conflict with Atari/Namco Bandai/Retail, where they have to set the prices the same so they're not undercutting, this is how they get around it.

From looking around, it's also available from Amazon/play at £25 with their particular bonuses, or... from Game who were likely one of the companies complaining last week how steam was eating their lunch, for £40 (sigh)

My only concern with getting the game from GOG would be once I download it, how do I get patches and updates? Do I have to redownload the entire game everytime it gets patched? Otherwise I'd probably be sending GoG my money. They do say, though, no payment until it is released.

A Cigar, much like Scotch and Monogamy, is an acquired taste.

McChuck wrote:

I'd recommend the Scottish martial art known as f*ck You. It's mostly just head butting and then kicking people when they're on the ground.

GOG and CD Projekt RED share a parent company so they can pull a deal like this, steam can't really do something like that on a price they don't think is good as they make agreements with many publishers, they would either have to negotiate a new price with the publisher (why? if they sell for less then Valve takes a share of a smaller pie) or offer steam credit out of it's own pocket.

This is a publisher/retail problem (I think), and it's one title from a relatively small studio on PC, rather than a big hit title from a big publisher. If Activision short-circuited all the retailers selling their game with a great offer like this on a title like Blops on all platforms, then there would be reason to sit up and pay attention.

The funny thing is, the "pre-order" on GOG isn't even a commitment to buy. From their FAQ:

#4: Can cancel my The Witcher II preorder?

It isn't possible to cancel the The Witcher II preorder, however preordering it on our site doesn't require you to purchase the game on our site, or at all. We would be more than happy should you wish to purchase this game from us eventually, though.

So, I'm not sure how it's a pre-order at all... more like a "remind me when this comes out" or something?

So, is there any way to get the nifty European Collector's edition in the US? I tried to get on that Gamestop link in the article, but it isn't available.
On the same note, I hope that there won't be a censored/uncensored version this time around.

Random thoughts wrote:

You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work
when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything
productive for the rest of the day.

Going away from TW2 topic, there was a news item on Monday on Focus, a French publisher saying that the US and UK are odd that they have such small amounts of stock of PC games that for a smaller publisher they need to use digital to make any headway.

I also like his point regarding action in games, including Dragon Age 2, generally action is exciting, and no one wants a boring game.

I got a reply to my question to GOG regarding preloading, or partial downloading before the release day:

This isn't official yet, but we will most likely implement this kind of feature, in order to survive the post-release downloading chaos. We're currently designing a new download manager as well. Please rest assured that we will be well-prepared on May 17th.